Improvement in step-ladders



' 1 partsfin the several figures;1 K

AA are the` side i pieces, each of which is made of 1 ,1 `a singlepiccel of boardentire at its end portionsybut ithas two parallel slits.cutxthroughout the greater pero eine,

lnttatr 1 MfBojLrrNn other, Aornnw YORK, N. Y.

"Letters Patent no. 112,442,1111tea March 7,1871. f

IMPRovi-:VMENT IN STEP-LADDERS.

The Schedule referred.- to in these Letters `Ilatentaud making part of the same.

1 To all whom t 'may concern; 1 Beit known that I, M. Bo'nAND GEARY', of the city, t fcounty, and Stated-NewYork, have inventedv a new 1 and usefullmprovementin Step-Ladders, .and Ido 1 hereby declare thatthe 1 following is a full,clear and fexact description thereof, reference being had to the ,i 1 accompanying drawingforming a part 'of this specitication. i w

1This invention consistsin a novel construction of `the'side pieces which support the steps of the ladder, said pieces beingflongitudinally slit so asl to be divided` int-o' three {pai-ts, for the greater portion of `their `1ength,and the so dividedl pai-tsj being sprung apart and aside,"in `arched form, tor-produce a lcompound t1uss,1whereby th( sidepiece is `bracedin.,aforward,

a rearward,` andra transversedirection.

Inithe accompanying drawiug- Figure l `is a front view of astep-ladder construct,

1ed` according to my invention;` 1

Figure 12 isa side Fyiewof the same;` and i L i Figure 3 is a `transverseY section of the side pieces and stcpstakenat the line :c x in, iig. 2.

1Similarletters of reference indicate corresponding portionoi' its` length, `which:divide such portion into three pieces or strips, the outer-two of which are bent,

the one, a, backward, and the other, b, forward, and

` the center-piece c is bent `sidewise, in a direction at 11rightauglesto that in1,\vhi,ch1 the others, are bent, so 1 1 'that tliefthrce form a compouudtruss.

` by Letters Patent,is-

`made, to bracethe-arches of the truss and keep them in shape;

The ladder` is provided, as usual, with a;prop,0 hinged at its upper end to the upper port-ion vot'. the ladder, and secured from swinging too far therefrom by two chains, c c, which are connected to opposite sides of the ladder and prop, so that they cross each other midway between them.

' The advantages gained by this construction of a step-ladder are that its sides .are `braced not only in a forward and backward direction, but laterally; that the steps are iiilnly secured to the side piecesrand that greater strength auddurability are obtained with less weight'of material than by any other construction, while the ladder can be at less expense than other trussed ladders'.v

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure 1 The side pieces A A of the step-ladder, slit for the greater partof their length to form three strips, a b.

c, the outer ones, a b, being bent outwardly, and the inner one, c, laterally thereto', forming a triangular or compound truss, substantially as shown and described;

M. BOLAND GEARY.

Witnesses:

Enno. HAYNES, R. E. RABEAU. 

